Hand-held baseball pitching apparatus for generating controlled curving trajectories

ABSTRACT

A slingshot-based training apparatus for propelling standard plastic apertured baseball or softball size projectiles along a desired curved trajectory. The present invention comprises a simplified portable, lightweight, hand-held pitching apparatus capable of safely hurling ubiquitous lightweight plastic baseball and softball size practice balls to a batter in training. The preferred embodiment comprises a rotatable grip to which a pair of offset yoke members are connected. These yoke members are also connected to opposed edges of a sling member through elongated elastic bands. Rotation of the grip offsets the yoke members so that one of the two yoke members is closer to the user than the other yoke member. Because grip rotation can be effected in either clockwise or counterclockwise directions, either yoke member can be offset to be closer to the user than the other yoke member. It will be seen hereinafter that when the yoke members are offset, the tension on the elastic bands is unequal when the sling is pulled back in preparation for propelling a training ball. Upon release of the sling, the unequal tension imparts a spin torque on the ball causing it to curve either left to right or right to left depending upon the direction of rotation of the grip.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The present invention relates generally to a device useful in training young baseball players to hit a pitched curveball. The invention herein relates more specifically to an apparatus used to propel a plastic simulated baseball toward a batter and impart a curved trajectory in a selected direction for training purposes.

2. Background Art

The prior art which appears to be most relevant to the present invention, is U.S. published patent application No. US 2006/0191521, which was published on Aug. 31, 2006, and claims priority to a provisional application filed on Apr. 4, 2003. This published application (Gee) discloses an underlying aspect of the present invention, namely, use of a slingshot to propel a plastic baseball. However, unlike the present invention, the Gee application discloses the concept of using a golf ball size plastic ball with a non-homogeneous structure such as apertures on only a portion of the ball's surface, to generate a spin or curve. The direction of the spin or curve can, it is alleged, be controlled by orienting the ball apertures in a launcher pouch of the slingshot before the ball is released. Of course, this requirement for a special ball having a non-uniform hole pattern and a smaller size than a baseball is a significant disadvantage. It means that the balls for the prior art device have to be unique and therefore have to be specially manufactured for that device. Such balls would tend to be significantly more costly than more standard baseball size plastic balls with a homogeneous distribution of apertures.

Moreover, the direction of the spin imparted to the ball disclosed in Gee is dependent on its orientation in the launder pouch. That, of course, means that before each such special ball is propelled toward a batter, it must be carefully placed in the pouch with its holes in a particular position. That is a time-consuming inconvenience which will clearly slow down the process and detract from the training benefits of the device. Furthermore, if the position or orientation of the ball should inadvertently change during operation of the slingshot, the ball is likely not to spin or curve along a desired trajectory toward the batter, but instead assume a curving trajectory along a different path. This would, of course, likely impact the desired training lesson of a batter.

These various disadvantages of the device disclosed in the Gee patent application, point up the continuing need for a slingshot based training apparatus which overcomes the noted deficiencies. More specifically, it would be highly desirable to provide a training device for “shooting” simulated baseballs at batters where the size of the ball is substantially the same as a standard baseball (or softball); where the plastic balls are standard and homogeneous in structure; where the orientation of the ball in the launching pouch is not determinative of the trajectory; and where the resulting trajectory is more likely to follow a predetermined desired path to best advance the training of each batter in attempting to hit a curve ball.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention meets the aforementioned continuing need. It comprises a slingshot-based training apparatus for propelling standard plastic apertured baseball or softball size projectiles along a desired curved trajectory.

In a preferred embodiment fully disclosed herein, the present invention comprises a simplified portable, lightweight, hand-held pitching apparatus capable of safely hurling ubiquitous lightweight plastic baseball and softball size practice balls to a batter in training. The preferred embodiment comprises a rotatable grip to which a pair of offset yoke members are connected. These yoke members are also connected to opposed edges of a sling member through elongated elastic bands. Rotation of the grip offsets the yoke members so that one of the two yoke members is closer to the user than the other yoke member.

Because grip rotation can be effected in either clockwise or counterclockwise directions, either yoke member can be offset to be closer to the user than the other yoke member. It will be seen hereinafter that when the yoke members are offset, the tension on the elastic bands is unequal when the sling is pulled back in preparation for propelling a training ball. Upon release of the sling, the unequal tension imparts a spin torque on the ball causing it to curve either left to right or right to left depending upon the direction of rotation of the grip.

The bottom end of the grip is connected to a pair of arm support rods and an arm support member which overlies the upper forearm of the user to stabilize the apparatus during use.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The aforementioned objects and advantages of the present invention, as well as additional objects and advantages thereof, will be more fully understood herein after as a result of a detailed description of a preferred embodiment when taken in conjunction with the following drawings in which:

FIG. 1 is a three-dimensional front view of a preferred embodiment of the invention and a plastic training baseball used therewith;

FIG. 2 is a side view of the preferred embodiment shown in with the plastic training baseball in the sling and in tension ready to be propelled toward a batter;

FIG. 3 is a top view of the apparatus showing the training ball centered in the sling;

FIG. 4 is a top view of the apparatus showing the training ball off-center left and off-center right in the sling, respectively;

FIG. 5 is an enlarged detailed view of the band/yoke pin and band/sling interfaces;

FIG. 6 is a bottom view of the grip and arm support connections thereto;

FIG. 7 is a top view of the grip and yoke member connections thereto with the left yoke member shown further from the sling to produce a left to right curved trajectory; and

FIG. 8 is a top view similar to that of FIG. 7 but showing the right yoke member further from the sling to produce a right to left curved trajectory.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF A PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

Referring to the accompanying figures, it will be seen that a pitching apparatus 10 is used to propel a plastic training ball 12, the latter being a hollow sphere with uniformly distributed apertures 13. Apparatus 10 comprises yoke members 14 and 15 each connected to the upper surface of a cylindrical handgrip 16 at spaced apart locations 17 and 19. Yoke members 14 and 15 are attached at their opposite ends to elastic bands 18 which, in turn, connect to opposed ends of a sling 20. Elastic bands 18 are preferably covered by flexible rubber tubes 22 which prevent the bands from becoming tangled.

The lower surface of grip 16 connects to arm support rods 24 and 25 which extend along a user's arm and terminate in an arm support 26 which extends partially around the user's upper forearm as shown best in FIGS. 2, 3, and 4.

The manner in which bands 18 connect at one end to sling 20 and at their other end at a yoke member 14 or 15, is shown in FIG. 5. As seen therein, each end of sling 20 has an attachment hole 28 through which band 18 is routed to form an attachment 30. As also seen therein each yoke member 14,15 terminates with a transverse pin 32 which extends beyond the cross-sectional diameter of the yoke member. Pin 32 provides a secure attachment for an end loop 34 of band 18. Tube 22, shown in phantom in FIG. 5 and in sold line in FIG. 1, is also secured to pin 32 through aligned apertures in the tube. The tube 22 keeps band 18 from inadvertently coming loose from pin 32.

The manner of employing pitching apparatus 10 to propel ball 12 along a desired trajectory, will now be described. As seen in FIGS. 2 and 3, sling 20 is pulled back from yoke members 14 and 15 extending bands 18. Ball 12 may be positioned at about the center of sling 20 with the yoke members positioned to be about symmetrical relative to a batter standing at a distance. The grip 16 determines the trajectory of the ball 12. If as shown in FIG. 6, grip 16 is in its mid-rotational configuration, there is likely to be no significant curve in the trajectory of ball 12. On the other hand, if grip 16 is rotated clockwise as shown in FIG. 7, the ball 12 will curve from left to right. If grip 16 is rotated counter-clockwise as shown in FIG. 8, ball 12 will curve from right to left. The rotation of grip 16 moves one of the two yoke members 14 or 15 further from the user, depending upon the direction of rotation. This longer distance places greater tension on one side of the sling as compared to the other. This tension difference places a lateral torque or spin on the ball as it is released from the apparatus and such spin causes the ball to curve along its trajectory to the batter. FIG. 4 illustrates an alternative way to impart such spin on ball 12. As seen in FIG. 4, ball 12 may be located off-center in sling 20 to generate unequal tension and resulting spin on the ball. This alternative may be used either instead of grip rotation or in addition to grip rotation.

Having thus disclosed a preferred embodiment of the present invention, it will now be seen that the particular embodiment shown herein may be readily modified without deviating from the inventive features thereof. Accordingly, the scope hereof will be limited only by the appended claims and their equivalents. 

1. A training apparatus for propelling simulated baseballs and softballs toward a batter along a trajectory that curves in a selected direction, the apparatus comprising: a slingshot-configured device having a pair of yoke members and a pair of elastic bands connected to said yoke members at respective first ends of said bands; a sling having opposed edges connected to said elastic bands at respective second ends of said bands; and a rotatable hand grip receiving said yoke members at spaced apart locations for placing said yoke members at unequal distances from said sling and generating unequal tension on said elastic bands depending upon the direction of rotation of said hand grip.
 2. The training apparatus recited in claim 1 wherein said handgrip is cylindrical in shape and wherein said yoke members are connected to said handgrip at a first axial end of said grip.
 3. The training apparatus in claim 2 further comprising a pair of arm support rods connected to a second axial end of said hand grip, said arm support rods terminating in an arm support configured for overlying a user's forearm for stabilizing said slingshot-configured device during use.
 4. The training apparatus recited in claim 1 wherein said yoke members and said hand grip are configured for generating a left to right ball trajectory upon clockwise rotation of said handgrip and a right to left ball trajectory upon counter-clockwise rotation of said hand grip.
 5. A slingshot apparatus for pitching baseball and softball training balls toward a batter along a trajectory that curves along a selected direction; the apparatus comprising: a rotatable handgrip; a pair of yoke members extending from said handgrip; a sling; elastic bands interconnecting said yoke members and said sling; said yoke members and said hand grip being configured for generating a left to right ball trajectory upon rotation of said hand grip in a first direction and a right to left ball trajectory upon rotation of said hand grip in a second direction opposite of said first direction.
 6. The apparatus recited in claim 5 wherein said yoke members extend from said hand grip at spaced apart locations for placing said yoke members at unequal distances from said sling and generating unequal tension on said elastic bands depending upon the direction of rotation of said hand grip.
 7. The slingshot apparatus recited in claim 6 wherein said handgrip is cylindrical in shape and wherein said yoke members are connected to said handgrip at a first axial end of said grip.
 8. The slingshot apparatus in claim 6 further comprising a pair of arm support rods connected to a second axial end of said hand grip, said arm support rods terminating in an arm support configured for overlying a user's forearm for stabilizing said slingshot apparatus during use. 